OPINION: In her final speech as outgoing president of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Phoebe Kitto made an indirect challenge to the Port Douglas business community to adopt a pro-active approach towards the chamber.

And as a major incentive to attract new members, she announced the membership fee for the next 12 months will be $50.

In addressing the annual general meeting at the Sheraton Mirage last night, Ms Kitto presented the newly-elected management committee with a number of challenges; the most important being increasing membership and the hiring of a CEO, provided the position can be sustained.

The onus is now on the management committee, who will elect a new president at their first meeting, to implement an achievable and workable plan that encourages the business community to support the chamber.

Ms Kitto believes this is the perfect time for the chamber to grow. She is right. The weak Australian dollar is having a positive effect on tourism and potential investors are looking more closely at Port Douglas. Coupled to this, there is the multi-million dollar revitalisation of the Sheraton Mirage, the expansion of the Reef Marina and the construction of Hemingway’s Brewery at the Marina.

But the key to making this happen is how it will be done. If the chamber wants to significantly increase its membership, it needs to set itself a time frame and introduce a membership drive that clearly defines the outcomes it seeks.

Although the chamber’s major goal is to further the interests of businesses and not necessarily make a profit, it did have to manage a $29,000 loss for the financial year ended 30 June 2015.

A small-town chamber relies heavily on its membership base and the Douglas Chamber of Commerce has no option but to sell itself to the people of Port Douglas to boost its numbers and improve revenue. How they do this and when they do it has to be their number one priority.

With their scarce resources and the hiring of a CEO prohibitive at this stage, the chamber needs a champion who has the nous to take up Ms Kitto’s challenges and get the right message out to the community.

The $50 fee is an incentive, but as mentioned before in this space, it’s not only the business community who should be targeted. The retired and semi-retired, who have an interest in the town and its future, can play an equally important role and should not be ignored.

Ms Kitto has laid down the challenge. Now is the time for action